Overcoming Overconfidence: How God Takes Your Hand In A Crisis
In this unforgettable personal account, Manjulaa Shirodkar shares valuable life lessons from overcoming overconfidence after a heart-stopping airport rush, proving that focus and faith can conquer chaos.
While returning from a visit to my hometown recently, I had the experience of a lifetime. It was when I missed boarding a flight – well, nearly! For some, this could be de rigueur but in the last 30 years of flying countless hours, there has been only one other instance when I nearly missed a flight and a second, when I actually did! So, can safely say this is not my norm. I love to reach a little early, stroll through the airports, hang around the glamorous shops, occasionally pick up something and then settle near the boarding gates. There is hardly any excitement I say, to boarding a Boeing or an Airbus!
But this time was so different that I am likely to recall it till kingdom come – since it came with life lessons attached. I do believe that I lived every nanosecond of the terrifying flight – right from leaving home to entering the aircraft. As I relive the race against time; the distraught pleading at the counters to help with check in; then rushing without checking in the baggage hoping the needful would be done at the gate itself; the restive moments while I waited to clear security to finally the crazy run to the gate, I can safely say, God held my hand!
The last minute rush happened because of overconfidence in my ability to reach the airport in the last hour before the flight had to take off instead of the mandatory two hours prior. It also stemmed from the fact that I had uploaded the boarding pass 24 hours earlier on Digi Yatra which makes travel today really seamless. I had been preoccupied that morning with supervision of ongoing renovation work at a site; last minute over-stuffing of bags with things one doesn’t need; catching a quick bite; late shower and booking of the cab etc etc etc – totally missing the point that I had been booked on a 2’0 clock flight, three hours earlier than my usual 5’0 clock one. And in the time I waited for the cab to arrive, I took a casual look at my boarding pass and that’s when it hit me – my flight was already boarding! Yup, you could read that again.
It was the first of the many mini heart attacks. Another look at the boarding pass assured me the flight was indeed boarding, the cab still 4 minutes away, travel time to the airport another 15, then the check in, security clearance before the final dash to the gates – yeah, you kinda get the picture… I barely had 25 minutes in which to do all this before the flight rolled for the take-off. And just my luck – it was on time!
In hindsight, the lessons I learned enroute is what makes this blink-and-miss-it flight so memorable. I firmly believe that the Good Lord(!) conspired with his agents to make the near impossible (or totally impossible) possible. Here is what I learned that fateful day.
Lesson 1:
In life or a momentary crisis, pursue your goal with single-mindedness.
See, I was only focused on getting to the aircraft and boarding it. Enroute to my chosen destination, there were naysayers who shook their heads and refused to cooperate owing their allegiance to the airline and its set rules. In this case, it was a young man at the counter who refused to check in my baggage saying, “The flight is already closed Ma’m, we cannot take it.” I don’t blame him. But, if only I could make it to the boarding gate, with some help from him? He shook his head.
Then, there are doubters (one was standing right next to the naysayer) who point out how far your goal is and how unlikely you are to reach it (I was told that the aircraft was parked at the furthest possible bay and even if they checked my bag in, there was no way I could make it to the gate which was over 10 minutes after the security check!) and No, “The ground manager cannot interfere with the inflight staff and their decisions. The boarding gates are about to be closed Ma’m or they will be by the time you reach. Flights don’t wait. We are not supposed to check you in since the baggage of all passengers has already been loaded. Sorry, you cannot be allowed.”
No amount of begging and pleading worked but precious minutes were definitely wasted. They were only doing their duty. Yet, when caught in a situation like this, firmly say a mental “No” to their audible “No.” Plus, Bhagwanji was surely lurking around and saw my determination to get to the goal and the doubter let slip, “The flight is at Gate 50 and that is at the other end of the terminal.”
I didn’t wait to hear further.
At the security check, the other passengers can only give you their place, not send you to the front of the line. Your luggage too will take its own time to roll through the X-ray. The lady CISF security guard will summon you when her cubicle is ready, notwithstanding your restless tippy-tapping toes behind the yellow line. Next come officers of the CISF who won’t be rushed just because you are in a tearing hurry. They are doing their duty as they are meant to, and at their pace without worrying about your journey, time or delay while you pray and hope that your handbag and check in baggage does not have a nail file or a life-threatening coconut and is not sent to the other side of the glass panel for a relook, reopening, looking for, pulling out and putting back the contents and re-packing.
You are also simultaneously hoping nobody will notice that you have three bags while all passengers are allowed only one bag post security – max two but not three. You Cannot have 3 bags – only a total of 2 are allowed and one of those has to be checked in if it is around more or less 15 kgs – likely more than less! Am discounting the women carrying their handbags! Meanwhile, conversation with the self can be nerve-wracking, ‘Did I pack the laptop charger, wardrobe keys, xyz? Ohh.. Dear Lord!’ But when God is watching, nobody notices trivialities. CISF found no reason to stall me and I sent up another silent Thank You prayer.
I was, however, already putting Plan B in place while waiting for the bags to come through the X-ray machine. ‘If this flight leaves without me, I will book another ticket on a later flight – that’s it. I will worry later about giving explanations to the extended family about why and how I missed a birthday party that we were hosting the same evening of an important family member – read husband! Worry I will – about everything but not before I have seen the gates close on me first.’’
Lesson 2: In a crisis take decisions on the go but be aware that Plan B cannot come into play until you have given plan A the complete due diligence it deserves.
Plan A deserves your best shot, since you’ve planned and striven to reach so far without compromising on all your previously assigned tasks with absolute sincerity, honesty and integrity. You know that there have been no lapses except a genuine desire to do justice by every single task that you feel you’ve taken responsibility for.
So, once I was through security and running across the airport, Shivam (don’t miss the quirk of fate here and I swear that was his name) found me. There he was – right in the middle of my path – his smiling, gangly self – with a wheelchair.
He took one look at my pale, panic-stricken self and asked, “Kya hua Ma’m?”
“Bhaiya, meri flight board ho chuki hai. Please gate tak drop kar denge?”
A desperation that could not be ignored and he immediately offered me the wheelchair.
“Baitho Ma’m, kaunsa gate hai aapka?”
“50”.
“Ohh ho. Chaliye dekhte hain,” said Shivam and decided to fly – me and my wheeled suitcase in tow! Plan A put to test. ISRO here I come!
Lesson 3: Once you’re on your way, Shiva(m) will find you. As always, he will be there without judgment, without complaint, standing by you till you reach your chosen gate, goal, destination… call it what you will. He will be there flying you on his vehicle, making your cause his own, performing the miracle that you have only tried to make happen on your own.
On that wheelchair as we ‘shooed’ and ‘excuse me’ed’ several bewildered passengers on our way to the gate, I remembered my Girl Friday who had said while dropping me to the cab, “Didi, you just take the flight and go off to sleep. Chalo, chalo sab achha hoga. Pareshaan mat ho.” I remembered the cab driver who had arrived Just In Time, right up to the gate at home without losing his way or being given directions (as Uber is wont to sometimes) to dropping me at the airport while staying within traffic limits and driving by the rules… and without getting upset even once though I was rushing him every few seconds. “Bhaiya jaldi chaliye, meri flight miss ho jayegi.”
Lesson 4: Once you are close to your goal, everyone makes way without objecting. The biggest lesson of the day was Nobody Judged – not those who refused, not the disbelievers, not those meant to secure me, not even passengers on other flights – I suppose they must have been experiencing dèjá vu! No one asked questions about why I was late and running or running late. No one blamed me for having foolishly delayed leaving home. Not that I had the time to explain anything! They only stepped aside and let me go…
Of all the people I could have met at the airport that day – porters, wheelchair assistance people, cart drivers, airline staff and passengers who had their own flights to catch, I met only those who were guides in their own way.
Lesson 5: If you are denied your opportunity(ies) go forth anyway. I am glad I paid no heed to the first refusal. I refused to feel dejected. There was no time to ponder! Instead, I used my frequent flying experience (and experience of life overall) to keep thinking of solutions for going forward rather than give up when the naysayer and doubter shook their heads and refused help.
In life too, to the worrywarts who say, “You can’t make it and I can’t help” just reply calmly, “Give me a chance.” In case they don’t give it to you, just take it because time is running out… Stay on course and stay focused. Being mindful and aware in each moment keeps your focus needle-sharp. Focus can be the game changer of your life. You can’t be on high alert 24×7 but you can certainly start to try and see what happens along the way. Miracles happen, that’s what.
To cut a long article short, we made it. The ground staff spotted one panicked passenger with Shivam transporting her on a wheelchair and nobody questioned why. We literally sailed through the gate after showing my Digi Yatra credentials (bless Digi Yatra). So keen were Shivam and I on reaching the aircraft that I left my cell phone in the hands of the flight attendant. She sent it with a ground staffer running after us!! And somewhere behind me, I heard Shivam confidently utter, “Ab aapko koi nahi rok sakta ma’m. You have crossed the gate. Ab toh airline ko aapko board karna hi padega.”
Both he and I breathed huge sighs of relief. We exchanged big smiles as I stepped off his wheelchair and pressed a note in his hands – which he took rather reluctantly, and into the aircraft. I had made it – from home to aircraft in 25 minutes flat. But no, I am not going to be learning any more lessons in such a tearing hurry anymore.
Husband pinged me as I was putting the seatbelt on. “Have they started boarding?” I smiled, and penned the best sentence I’ve penned any day before or since: “Boarded, seated, ready for take-off.” He returned a smiley :).
Lesson 6: When you have achieved what you set out for, you will find yourself (as I did) rising amidst rain-filled clouds flying the flight of your life… mirroring the sunshine along the way and shining as bright as you can.
The feeling of making it to your destination is surreal. It doesn’t sink in that you’ve achieved what you set your heart on. Best part. Not only did the flight leave punctually, it arrived early – a full 11 minutes early. As flights go, this was the smoothest – barring a bit of initial turbulence!
At the destination no one was even remotely aware of the mad rush, the panic and the anxiety I had gone through. No one needed to know. Only I knew what it took me to stay the course and the determination that got me there. For them disembarking from my destined flight was ‘normal’ and that was it. The observant husband noticed that I stepped out of the airport rather too soon. “Hadn’t you checked in your bag?” I smiled and replied airily, “Didn’t need to.”
So, This is Life and it is so because the next goal, the next challenge awaits. With less stress, less panic and more preparedness… Tathastu.
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